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Priorities and Plumbing

What I mean by that title is this. I have Fridays and Saturdays off every week. This week I also have Sun and Mon off due to going to an overnight thing with Rhiannon to her prospective college.

So, Friday I promised I'd spend part of the day with my oldest daughter, Corina. I also had to deposit money into the bank. I needed to pay a bill. I also had to pick up the rental car at 5pm. I was supposed to take Rhiannon to get a phone card and then take her to a friend's house for a party....

So, I woke up around 2:30, and before we even left the house, the dogs got out accidentally when Christopher went to put one on the backyard lead. So, as we were leaving, we saw the dogs running around near the main road, so we had to stop and try to lure them back home. We did get one in the car, but the other just followed us back. He then proceeded to run into the woods behind the house. The one who came home in the car wouldn't go inside, and just then, Rhi and Faelyn came home off the bus. So I had them grab the dog and go in, then tasked them with finding the escapee.

So, finally Corina and I were able to go out. It was 3:15 by then. We went to Wendys where the meal came to a lot more than she was expecting (she doesn't eat out much). Her husband came by to eat with us for a while, then she and I headed out toward the bank. Traffic was terrible, and it took forever to go the couple miles up the road. Finally got there, and got it deposited, and she took a back road to the thrift store she wanted to go to. On the way, I had her stop at a different one because they had a vanity top sitting out front. Turns out, it cost about the same as the one at Lowes and it was old and gross. Then we headed toward the next thrift store she wanted to visit, but when we got there, we realized it was 10 minutes til closing, almost time to pick up my rental car, and I still hadn't heard from Rhi about whether she was still going to the party. So, we headed to the rental car place. I've rented there for like 3 years now, and have a preferred membership and everything, so, when the new manager was there telling me I had to have a utility bill, I just could not believe it. I was glad I didn't live that far away. I mean if I'd driven there from across the county, I'd have been royally pissed. Always been a rule blah blah.. So, ANYWAY, we had to go BACK to the house to get a utility bill... which of course I could not find. most everything is not emails only. So I went to print my bill online, and I was out of ink. Seriously. So, out of options, I call the rental place, and ask the manager if I can email them a pdf of it. She's like SURE no problem (in a voice that immediately said, "You could have done that all along, but I didn't tell you, because I take joy out of crushing people's spirits."

It is also at this point, that I talk to Christopher about his day. He had planned on going in to work that day to catch up on some work, but decided to stay home instead (it WAS his day off afterall), and try to get the plumbing fixed. He ripped out the toilet from our bathroom and augured the drain, but found nothing. He looked pretty dejected. I told him that maybe the clog was on the other end of the house, and if we took that toilet out, maybe he could find it from that end. I told him I'd get a new toilet ring so we could put the toilet back when we were done with that.

SO. we finally get back to the rental place, and I get the car. Then we both drove back to my house. At this point, Rhiannon can't get ahold of the person who's having the party and she still needs the phone card. Also, Corina and I have been talking, and if I want to use her Explorer to get the stuff for the bathroom it needed to be right then because she was going to be working all weekend. First of all, people wanted to eat. Christopher had cooked a roast in the oven for 3 hours, so we all nibbled on that, but agreed it needed to sit in the crockpot for another few hours to really soften up some more. So, off to Kmart to get the phone card, then Rhi finds out the party was cancelled because no one showed up and the guy's phone had stopped working most of the day. Apparently he has the same kind of luck we do.

So, off to Lowe's. By now, it was getting dark. Needless to say I never got the bill paid. I'll do it Monday, I swear. At Lowes, I got a new toilet that came with the floor hardware, wax ring, seat etc. Then got another wax rind for other toilet, a new sink to replace the broken duct-taped one in the master bath as well as a new faucet, tub and tile sealant stuff, a toilet paper roll holder, and a sheet of plywood. Had to tie the plywood to the top, but we got it all back home. Corina also got 4 boxes of laminate flooring for her new place.

When we got home, we found Christopher looking more dejected. He'd taken out the other toilet (so now we didn't have one at all) and had used the snake and found nothing - in fact he couldn't even get the snake down the drain. So, after some trial and error and Corina's husband Tyler coming over to look at it too, we found it was catching on the bend in the pipe and finally got it to go. It went the whole 50 feet and caught nothing. So we determined it had to be in the main sewer line outside. I pondered what that really meant. Would I have to contact the landlord? Was it a city water thing? I had no idea. Our neighbors had Roto Rooter out last week, but Christopher never went over to ask if it was for the same thing. Well, by then Christopher was exhausted. he washed up and went to bed, then Corina and Tyler left, Rhiannon went on a date, and Faelyn's boyfriend left. So, I had to put the toilet back by myself. Faelyn scraped up the old wax rind, and I went to install the new bolts for the toilet, and realized the ring thing it attaches to on the floor was broken. I am positive this was the issue we had originally with the master bathroom toilet. But I was exhausted, and we needed a working (in theory) toilet. So, I did get Christopher to come help life the toilet back into place, and I got it bolted down at least on one side. I hoped it would be enough. It still only fully flushes now and then, and it still backs up to the tub now and then.

I was so tired, and just wanted to take a nice long bubble bath... which was the one thing I couldn't do. That sucked. So, I got online and instant messaged a neighbor friend of mine, and told her about not finding the clog and not knowing what to do... and then she tells me, "You do know the whole street has had their plumbing backed up for days, right?"
...
SERIOUSLY?????
She even knew I'd been having plumbing issues, and my kids even went down to her house earlier that evening to see if she had anything that might help with the clog. She never considered it might be related to this? Jeeze. Well, so, anyway, I need to call the landlord and let him know it's affecting us as well. It would have been nice if he had come to us and asked if we were affected, or had a note on the door about the issue on our street. The landlord owns all the property here since it's a mobile home park, so it's all his responsibility. I should have called Saturday morning, but it was another busy day, and they weren't open anyway. I'll call Monday.

So, Saturday morning rolls around. Christopher wakes up and apologizes first thing for not being able to fix the clog. So, I told him it was the landlord's responsibility, and the whole street is backed up, and he never had to auger or rip out the second toilet or miss work... he was probably pretty ticked off since he was silent and then just got ready and left for work. Maybe I shouldn't have told him? *shrugs*

SO! Saturday would have been the perfect day to get in there and tear out the flooring and remove the old sink and put down the new flooring and the new sink and get it all put back in right?

Wrong.

Rhiannon had gotten that money for college from her great grandparents estate, and had to get her laptop, and wanted to look for prom dresses. These are the kinds of memories I want to make with her. I still remember shopping with my Mom for my prom dresses. We ended up having both of them made (junior and senior), but they were based on designs of dresses I saw in stores (but couldn't fit into :( ) ANYWAY, I wanted Rhi to have good memories of her senior year, especially since a lot of it wasn't as nice as it could have been due to money... like not getting to go to New York with the chorus etc. ... So I made her the top priority of the day. Her boyfriend Joe came along, and we took the rental car. Got lunch at Subway, went to the name brand consignment store next to Subway, and aha! There was the dress. It was on a mannequin. It was a size we assumed would fit, but it was a little big, but for $89 we knew the seamstress in town, Olga, could alter it and get it to fit perfectly. It's not the mermaid dress she really wanted, but it is a style she'd been saying she'd wanted last year, and it looks amazing on her - and Joe really liked it. So, fortunately we had some room to go ahead and get the dress now even thought prom money isn't budgeted for another week. It'll work out fine.

Then we headed to Johnson City to get her laptop from Best Buy, then went to the mall and walked around forever. Then went to Target. We were going to window shop that whole strip mall, but Christopher called and asked if he needed to pick anything up on his way home. I had no idea it was already after 5! So, I told him he'd need to feed him and the other 2 girls at home. He wanted to spend some time together to salvage some sort of date night, so I said I'd be home by 7. So, we headed out to eat a quick cheap dinner on the way home (Rhi paid for theirs) and got home in time to watch one tv show with him before he went to bed.

Apparently while I was gone, my neighbor friend came up and wanted to help work on the bathroom, and informed Christopher that the flooring we got was not thick enough. I agree, but he swears the existing flooring is only 1/4" thick. I didn't check myself and had to believe what he told me over the phone while I was at Lowes. I just never really believed it though. I wanted to get 3/4" plywood... and I should have. NOW I need to figure out how to take back the sheet of plywood I bought and get the 3/4" home...

Of course, normally the fact that I hadn't done the bathroom redo on Friday or Saturday would mean that I'd do it on Sunday, except that I won't be here.

Rhiannon and I have to leave by noon (in around 10 hours from now give or take Daylight savings time) to get to her prospective college by 3pm so she can check in for Highland Days where she gets to pretend to be a student for the day and night and part of the next day. After I drop her off, I am a free woman. It's my mini vacation time (well I do have to take her bags to her at 5:30, but otherwise, it's just ME TIME). Rhiannon is paying for my hotel room for the night while she's on campus. I could have just drive her down there, then driven home, then driven back the next day and driven back home. But she says that's way too much driving, and to be honest, it might go over our rental miles we're allowed for free. So, I get a hotel room all to myself (AND A WORKING BATHROOM) for a whole evening and night! One of my favorite shows is returning from hiatus that night and the new COSMOS debuts as well, and I am really excited to see that.

Fortunately Christopher doesn't have to open Monday, so he'll be at the house to get the girls up for school. After I pick Rhiannon up around 11am, we're heading to another little town nearby where there's a Lenscrafters for her eye exam and to look into getting contacts. She begged me for that appt forever, so I figured it wouldn't hurt since the exams are free with our insurance. I also need to make sure we get back to town in time to pay some bills and get the car turned back in to the rental place by around 5:30. It's a 2 hour drive. Once I get home, I'll be the only parent home since Christopher is working til 10pm that night. So, sometimes in there I need to get groceries, because otherwise we won't have any dinner food in the house. Though Christopher and the girls will need dinner Sunday night as well, oh and I just remembered Faelyn is supposed to be having a bunch of friends over to play games. I made sure she understood this was not a great time, and the friends needed to know that the plumbing has issues, and apologize for everything. I'm afraid the smell is something we've probably gotten used to, and will be pretty overpowering for someone new. I'm not sure. This all really sucks. I REALLY hope the landlord gets it unclogged asap.

It's now 3:14am thanks to the time change, and I'm sure as heck not going out grocery shopping now. I can't go to sleep quite yet, as I need to get the clothes into the dryer first. I can already hear that pillow calling my name though. I wish I could wake up to a clean perfect, fresh smelling house though... sigh.

Hi I'm Patty! Married to Christopher, we have 4 daughters, 1 still at home. We live in East Tennessee. I work full time online as a CSR from 5pm til 4am four nights a week, so my schedule is a little screwy. I strive to be a good wife, mom and homemaker. I'm also a total geek and fangirl. I've recently become a planner nerd and on a big organizing kick.